GOV. GRETEN WITMER: Help me elect Kamala Harris to build a bright future for our girls

Why is the Democratic governor of Michigan writing published on Fox News? Well, I want to share some personal things about myself that you may not know and that we may have in common. As American women, we have the power to change the outcome of future elections for our daughters.

I grew up in a bipartisan household. My dad worked in the office of Republican Governor George Romney (yes, Mitt’s father) and my mom worked for the Democratic attorney general. At the dinner table, they encouraged me and my siblings to share our opinions and disagree without being obnoxious. This skill has served me well Michigan State Legislaturewhere I was in the minority all along.

You may not know that I was sexually assaulted in college. I didn’t talk much about it for a long time. Many years later someone said to me, “We are all like a lump of clay. When it is hollowed out, it becomes a bowl.” When something is taken from you, what is left can have a purpose.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on stage during a campaign rally at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan on August 7, 2024. (Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

After the attack, they took something from me. But this moment solidified my goal for life: fighting for women and families. After I left the legislature, I became a district attorney and fought for gymnasts who were sexually abused by their doctor.

HARRIS REFUSES TO MAKE CONCESSIONS TO REPUBLICANS ON ANY ABORTION LEGISLATION, INCLUDING RELIGION EXEMPTIONS

Like many of you, I’m a mom. My two daughters are smart, purposeful young women. The relationship between a mother and daughter is special, and as mothers we want to protect our children. That’s why I was angry when their fundamental reproductive rights – The rights I had for 50 years that I knew were available when I was attacked were taken away from them in college as they began their lives.

Women are busy. Maybe you’re reading this between errands after a long day at work. You know when your grocery store has the best deals, how much summer camp costs, and what supplies your son needs for art class. You know the tone in your child’s voice when they are scared and call you with a problem. You must have called your mother like that too. You are the expert in your family.

This November, remember that your perspective matters and your vote is your personal decision. You may have heard from some of your friends that they don’t know enough about politics or issues to vote.

Here’s what to say to these friends: Trust your mind because you have great power. You may not have a lot of time to read the news, but you know better than anyone what your family needs: lower costs, a good education, and the freedom to make their own decisions. But our fundamental right to make such decisions is under attack.

HARRIS CALLS FOR FILIBUSTER EXCLUSION TO PASS ROE ABORTION BILL INTO FEDERAL LAW

Because overturning Roeone-third of American women live in a state where abortion is illegal. During that time, 65,000 rape pregnancies were reported in these states. Doctors have seen a clear link between abortion restrictions and rising maternal and child mortality rates and declining standards of patient care. We’ve seen the heartbreaking stories of women like Amber Thurman of Georgia, who died after being denied life-saving surgery, leaving her 6-year-old son an orphan. There are so many stories like Amber’s.

I’m sure you’ve heard about Project 2025, too. I know the Trump-Vance campaign has tried to distance itself, but let’s face it, it’s a to-do list. As any woman with a to-do list will tell you, you make it to cross things off.

Their list is scary: allow hospitals to refuse to provide care to pregnant women in a crisis situation; creating a national surveillance system to share your personal health data – the data you rely on when trying to get pregnant or plan a family on your own terms. Even if you live in a “safe” state, these proposals will affect you.

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In Michigan, I spoke with hundreds of women from across the political spectrum. In 2022, when I won reelection and Michiganders voted to enshrine reproductive freedom in our state constitution, Republican and independent women turned out in record numbers. They united to protect their rights. In a recent poll, a majority (53%) of Republican women between the ages of 18 and 49 supported a national law guaranteeing access to abortion. We are united because politics has no place in the doctor’s office.

There will be 10 states this November vote for abortion rights and each state will vote for a president who will set the agenda for our health and our bodies. I urge you to vote for Kamala Harris, a candidate who stands up for reproductive freedom and the middle class. Your vote is your choice. You may not agree with me or Kamala Harris on everything, but our lifelong health and wealth depends on our ability to make our own decisions about our own bodies. Please join me in electing a leader who will build a bright future for our girls – yours and mine.

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